Pig came to the barn one morning and addressed all the animals.
“From today onwards, I’m going to eat more than my usual share because I’m not mediocre,” said Pig. “I want all of you to give me half of your food.”
The horse snorted. “This is not fair. I will starve.”
“Well, you can learn to fast,” said Pig.
The cow shook its head. “I can’t live on half a meal. I will die.”
“No, you’ll just be thinner than me, that’s all,” said Pig.
The donkey brayed. “You’re greedy.”
Pig smiled. “So I am.”
The ducks quacked in protest. “No, no, no, no!”
“You don’t have a choice. Remember, I’m your leader,” said Pig.
“I hate you, Pig,” said the goat.
Pig shrugged. “Join the line.”
The tuxedo cat and the white mouse looked at each other then stared at Pig.
“If the cow becomes malnourished, where do I get my milk?” the tuxedo cat asked.
“And no goat cheese for me,” said the white mouse.
“I don’t care,” said Pig.
A year past and every animal in the barn became malnourished and sick while Pig grew fatter and fatter. Eventually, all the animals died except for the tuxedo cat and the white mouse who decided to migrate for greener pastures.
Meanwhile, the farmer had been monitoring the affairs of the animals in the barn. He could not understand why they were losing weight and dying though he noticed the pig growing fatter.
One day the farmer’s land was hit hard by the worst drought in history. He decided to tighten his belt. Seeing the fat pig, he realized he could survive on it for months while he waited out his bad luck. So he dragged Pig out of the barn and slaughtered it.
Miles away in the barn on the next farm, the tuxedo cat was having a bowl of milk while his friend, the white mouse, was having cheese. A bird flew into the barn through a window and told them what happened to Pig.
“I wonder if there’s a moral to the story,” said the white mouse.
The tuxedo cat looked up. “Yes, there is … a pig will always be a pig just like a scorpion will always be a scorpion.”
This is the photo of my first Italian pizza. I tried it on the second night of my first trip to Bellagio in Lake Como.
I savored the pizza during dinner at the Bellagio Sporting Club after receiving a complimentary dinner voucher from the motel I was staying in. But I forgot what I ate; I don’t know the name of the pizza. I do remember, however, ordering a vegetarian one from the menu. Perhaps from the picture, you can tell me what it is. The waiter claimed it’s the best pizza in Lake Como. I almost believed him but after trying a few more pizzas here and there, well, I have to reserve judgment.
Truth be told, I was more interested in what I was seeing rather than what I was eating. Around this time I was working on my thriller novel Incognito, and taking mental and physical notes of places: parks, museums, monuments, boat rides on the lake, bazaar, cafes. I was soaking up and absorbing everything around me. Some of the characters I met were also interesting.
During this trip, I lost my pocket camera but a waiter at a Bellagio cafe found it and returned it to me. You’d be surprised the number of times I lost my belongings during the trip. Yet each time, I met a kind soul who returned them.
The visit also included visits to Venice, Rome, and Saint Moritz. I was tempted to learn how to ski in Saint Moritz but I think it takes a long time to master the sport, so I did the next best thing: I went mountain trekking.
Mountain trekking is therapeutic, and I understand why many people do it. I’d like to describe it as being a land astronaut. The higher you go, the more peaceful it becomes.
It was on Muottas Muragl (Mount Muragl) that I met a Swiss woman who gave me the idea to incorporate the Vatican angle for my manuscript. She was pointing vehemently towards Italy and ranting about the Vatican. It was a chance meeting after stopping her on a slope to ask for directions. For a moment, I thought I was in Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park. Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion. But I have to thank her for helping me complete my manuscript.
By the time I was done traveling, I had enough ingredients to write my thriller. The novel was based on two separate visits to Switzerland. The second visit included various regions of Italy and provided the toppings.
I look forward to doing it again… and this time around, I’m going to be sure to remember what kind of pizza I ate.
Before the protagonist was Blake Deco, he was Drake.
Initially, the idea was to steal King Tut’s dagger, not the Deringer.
The story is inspired by a real-life actress.
I couldn’t decide on a title for the book. “Sun Kiss,” “Gun Boulevard” – the list went on. I finally decided by playing with the Californian orange brand, Sunkist and came up with Gun Kiss.
After changing the protagonist’s name to Blake, I contacted an expert in San Diego on skydiving who coincidentally is Blake.
The cat in the story is based on my tuxedo cat.
The Besame Mucho scene is based on my own experience with someone as we were driving to Malaysia.
